Fluid-meter.



E. P. COLEMAN, DBGD.

B. H. COLEMAN, ADMINISTRATOR.

Patented Mar. 7, 1911.

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EDGAR P. COLEMAN, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK; ROBERT H. COLEMAN ADMINISTRATOROF SAID EDGAR P. COLEMAN, DECEASED.

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Application filed July 6,

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Mar. '7, 1911'.

1909. Serial No. 506,025.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that I, EDGAR P. COLEMAN, a citizenof the United States, anda resident of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to integrating me- -ters for determining and reistering the quantity or volume of fluid,w ether liquid,

vapor-or gas, which passes through a pipe or conduit during a given,unit 0 respective .of-the density or rate of flow of thefluidQ Anapparatus embodying the main features of my invention consists ingeneral of axmotor operated by the pressure of the fluid to be measured,and thespeed ofwhich varies with: the pressure-head or velocity of thefluid, and a registering device operated by said motor, to ether withmeans for neutralizing the friction due to the movement of the operative.partsofthe motor,

'said means embracing a separate motor operated through the action of a"descending weight or other source of power, and acting on the rotativemember of the motor with a.

' constant force exactly equal to the resistance to the movement of themotor due to friction,' so that inaccuracy in calibration due to varymgfrictional resistance at diifcrent speed of the motor is made exactlyproportional tothe velocity of the fluid, and the calibration istherefore accurate regardlessof the frictional resistance developed in.

the operation of the motor.

My invention may be most advantageously carried out in practice by theuse of a motor. of the impact or reactive type, in which rotary motionis imparted to a rotative memberor wheel. by the forceof a jet of fluidissuing from a jet-nozzle. and which includes aresistance or load-memberconnected. and turnin with the said ro-- tative' member or wheeand-which turns-in ,a-bo'dyof fluid, thercbv afi'ording'a resistingtorque, opposing t e motivetorque of time, 11'

the motor, so that the latter turns or rotates at a moderate rate ofspeed. The registering wheel and indicates the number of rotationsthereof in a given period of time, and consequently the total volume .orquantity of fluid passing through the apparatus in such sult of accuracyin calibration, under varying conditions of pressure or velocity anddensity in the fluid to be measured, I employ in the motor ajet-nozzlewhich has a converging passage or bore terminating in a cylindricalorparallel-discharge exit or de-. livery" orifice, anozzle so madehaving a constant co-efiicient of discharge. In a motor thusconstructed, the torqu'eof' the mothe fluid velocity at the exit orificeof the nozzle, While the resisting-torque of the load-member isproportional to the square of the speed of rotation-of the same, withthe result that the speed of rotation of the Wheel is strictlyproportional to the square root of the pressure-head of the fiuidand,"therefore, to the velocity of discharge through the nozzle. Thefrictional resistance to the rotation of the moving parts beingeliminatedby the use of a frictiontor, as described, the'meter will beaccurate for all rates of flow and under all variations in densityof thefluid to \be measured.

The apparatus shown-in the accompanying drawlngs as embodying myinvention embraces a motor ofthe impact type, consistingof a closedcasing, a rotor or wheel withinthesame, mounted on a vertical shaft andprovided-with blades or buckets,.horizontally arranged jet-nozzlesand aresistance' or load-member consisting of'blades attached to the rotorand turning in the body of fluid withinthe casing, said apparatus.cor-res ending in its general'features with that i1 ustrated in a searate a plication for Letters Patent, erial N llmbl 506,023, filedsimultaneously herewith. 'I have, however, illustrated in said drawingscertain details of construction which are themselves novel, and whichare hereinafter described.

in central, vertical section of an apparatus device is driven by saidrotative member or given period. For securing the desired. re-

neutralizing device or constant-power moembodying my invention. Fig. 2is a .horitor-whcelis proportional to the square of In the said drawingsFigure 1 is a view zontal section of the same, taken on line 2'2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a lan View of the apparatus. Fig. 4 is a detailsection taken ,on line l4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail section taken online 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section of the uppershaft-bearing taken on. line 6-6 of Fig. .5. Fig.7 is an enlarged detailsection of said be'arin taken on line 7-7 of Fig; 5. Fig. 8 is a p anview showing a modified form of said upper shaftbearing. As shown insaid drawings, the casing of the apparatus consists of an uprightcylinder 5 provided with top and bottom heads 6 and 7. The fluid to bemeasured enters the casing through two supply pipes 8, 8 (Fig. 2) whichextend through t e cylinder 5 at opposite sides thereof and 'terminateintapered, horizontally arranged discharge nozzles 9, 9. The fluid passesfrom the casing throu h a discharge pipe 10, the flow of the uid throughthe casing being constant during the operation of the apparatus.Centrall within the casing is an'upright rotative sha t 11, carrying therotor or rotative member of the apparatus, which embraces a series ofannularly arranged blades or buckets 12, 12, 12 that are acted upon bythe jets of fluid from the nozzles 9, 9 and two annularly arran edseries of blades 'or wings 13, 13.- The bla es or buckets 12, 12, 12,together with the nozzles 9, 9, constitute the operative elementsof animpact motor, said blades and nozzles being arranged obliquely withrespeet to radial lines of the rotor, and the nozzles being so arrangedthat the jets delivered thereby act byimpact on the said blades to giverotative movement to the rotor, as common in impact motors. Said nozzleshave converging parallel-discharge orifices, the bores of said nozzlesbeing conical in their tapered parts and terminating in c lindricalorifices at their dischargeends. Ozzles of this form have asubstantially constant co-eflicient of discharge under a varyingressure-head and with fluids of varying ensity. The two sets of blades13, 13 of the rotor rotate, with the motor.

blades 12, 12, 12, within the body of fluid contained in and. gassing.through the casing,

and constitute a oad-member or fluid-brake which furnishes aresistance-torque opposing the motive-torque of the motor. The torque ofthe rotor is proportional to the pressure head, or to the square of thevelocity of the fluid, and the resistance-torque of the loadmember isproportional to the square of its revolutions per unit of time, whilethe resistin -torque will; to a large degree counterba ance themotive-torque, so that the rotor will turn at a moderate rate of speed.The resulting rate of rotation of the rotor will,

therefore, be proportional to the fluid flow throu h the apparatusirrespective of variation 0% pressure or density of the fluid beingmeasured; the error which would arise from the constant frictionalresistance; due to the turning of the rotor and gearing, beingeliminated by the. friction-neutralizing device or constant-torque motorhereinafter described.

In the particular construction in the rotor shown in the drawings, thesame embraces two parallel sheet metal disks 14, 14 which are secured tothe shaft 11 and the motor blades 12, 12, 12 which are afiixed to andextend between the marginal arts of said disks. The load-member bla cs13, '13 are arranged radiall and consist of upright plates that areinserted through the said disks 14, 14 and extend above and below thesame; the. upper and lower ends of said plates being secured to flatsheet metal rings in the casing from turning with the rotor as thelatter revolves, annularly arranged, stationary radial blades 16, 16, 16are located within the casing exterior to the rotor, as clearly seen inFi 2. Said stationary blades, by holding rom rotary motion the body offluid surrounding the rotor, greatly increase the resistance to rotationproduced by the action on the fluid of the load-member blades. Forconvenience of construction, the stationary blades 16, 16, 16 are shownas attached at their upper and lower ends to flat rings 17, 17, therebyforming a cage or frame which is inserted, as a whole, into the casingand is secured by screws or otherwise to the lower head 7 of the saidcasing.

At the top of the main casing is an oilchainber formed by means of anauxiliary casing consisting of a cylindrical wall 20 which rises fromthe upper head 6 of the main casing, and a cap-plate 21 secured to thewall 20. The motor-shaft 11 extends at 7 the same is provided with agear-wheel 22 which internieshes with a gear wheel 23 at- ;tached to avertical shaft 24 which extends,

upwardly through the cap 21 of the oilchamber. A register or rotatingcounter 30, of familiar construction, is mounted on the cap 21 .of theoilchamber and is operatedfront the shaft 24 through the medium of acrank-arm 31, on the upperend of said shaft,

. wardly through a bearing'onthe' top wall 6, 1 .into the oil-chamberand 111 its part within and a connectingrod 32' which is engaged latingwith said crank-arm and with an osci crank-arm 33 forming part oftheregistering device. The said register or counter will be operated toturn'the units disk thereof one space or units distance at each rotationof "the shaft 24 so that said register will indicate the number ofrotations of the said shaft per unit of time. The quantity orvolupeffect each rotation of the rotor being easily determined, it followsthat the device may be constructed to directly indicate the totalquantity of fluid which flows through the apparatus in a given time;expressed in any desired unit of measurement.

The constant-torque motor which is applied, in the apparatusillustrated, to neutralize the frictional torque of the rotor and itsshaft and gearing embraces features of construction as follows: To theshaft 24, above the cap 21, is attached a gear-wheel 35 whichintermeshes with a gear-wheel 36 on an upright shaft 37 mounted on saidcapplate 21. 'As shown, a shell or casing 38 is' attached to said plateand affords bearings for the shaft 37 and for the upper end of the shaft24. On said shaft 37, above the casing 38, is secured a drum 40 on whichis wound a rope or cord 41. Said rope or cord 41passes from the drum 40over a guide-pulley 42 mounted on a bracket 43 attached to the topplate'tl of the casing. From the guide pulley 42 the cord ll passesaround a pulley. 44 attached to a weight 70,

the extremity of said cord being attached to the bracket 43. The partsthus constructed constitute a weight-actuated motor by which a constanttorque is transmitted to the shaft 11- through the medium of the gearingdescribed acting in the same direction as that in which the said shaftturns in the operation of the motor; such constantto me being adapted,by proper adjustment of t e gravity of the weight and proportioning ofthe gearing, to give exactly the amount of power required for overcomingthe frictional resistance due to the turning of the parts of the motorand registering mecha-.

nismin their bearings.

The hearing for the 11 per end of the rotor shaft 11 consists o abearing plug 45 which is inserted through and has screwthreadedconnection with the cap 21 of the oil-chamber; the said shaft having'aconical upper and en a conical recess in the lower end of t ebearingplug. Said bearing plug may be adjusted vertically by turningsaid head. Said sleeve 47. is closed at its lower end and is provided inits lower art with a vertically sliding plug 48 provided in itstop withaconical recess for engage meat, with the lower, conical end of the shaft11. Said lower end of the shaft enters the said sleeve and'has bearinglaterally ina cylindrical bearingsurface lllfornitd at the upper end ofthe bore or central passage of the sleeve. The sliding plug 48constitutes a thrust bearing and is held or pressed upwardly intocontact with the lower conical end of the shaft by a coiled spring 50,interposed between the said plug and the lower 1 end of the bore of thesleeve. Said sleeve is enlarged below the bearing surface &9 so as toform an oil space which surrounds the lower end of the shaft above-the.sliding plug 48.

The shaft 24 has bearing at its lower end in abearing sleeve 51 securedin an opening formed in the top head 6 of the main casing. The sleeve 51is provided with a cylindrical bore to receive the lower end of saidshaft, and in. the lower part of said bore is located a verticallysliding lug 52 provided in. its top with a conical caring recess toengage the conical lower end of said shaft. A coiled lifting spring 53presses the said plug upwardly in the hearing sleeve and holds saidbearing plug in engagement with said conical lower end of the shaft. Ahearing is formed for the shaft 24 on the ca 21 of the oil-chamber,through which said s aft 24 extends, by means of a tubular bearin'gsleeve 62 which surrounds the shaft and is inserted and secured in anaperture in said cap, together with a bearing collar 63 on said shaftwhich is located belowthe bearing sleeve 62- and has an upwardly facingconical bearingsurface engaging an annular, coni-. cal, downwardlyfacing bearing surface on the lower end of said sleeve. The spring 53,

acting. through the plug 52, lifts the shaft 2 L andholds the bearingcollar 63 in contact with the bearing surface on said sleeve 62. Thebearing collar 63, being held or pressed constantly against the lowerend of the hearing sleeve 62, a tight joint is'maintained, by which theescape of oil from the reservoir between the shaft 24 and the cap 21 isprevented.

Oil is supplied to the oil-chamber by means of a supply pipe" 71receiving its supply of oil from a reservoir 72. A valve 73 is providedin the pipe 71 to control the flow of oil or lubricant from thereservoir to the oilchamben. The oil or other lubricant supplied to theoil-chamber by the pipe 71 fills said oil-chamber so that the said upperbearbearing is, provided between the motobslmft 11 and the top wall 6-of the casing which I tubular plug has its central bore or apertureslightly larger than the diameter of the shaftso that the latter has nodirect or frictional contact with said plugi Attached to and surroundingthe motor-s af callytherewith, is a bearing disk 56 which is r above andrests upon an annular bearing surface upon the upper end of thescrew-plug 55. Said bearing surface on the screw-plu is made of concaveform and the v lower sur ace of the disk 56 is made of con- Saiddisk 56is'provided, as clearly shown in vex form and of correspondingcurvature.

Figs. 5 and 6, with a plurality of radial slots 57, 57 extending fromits outer margin inwardly, but terminating at theirinner ends exteriorto the central aperture in the plug 55. Said slots 57, 57 permit accessof lubr1- cant in the oil-chamber to the bearing surfaces of thescrew-plug and the dis the lubricant being always in contact with thebearing surface on the plug in the spaces that are left uncovered by thesaid slots, so that the lubricant is wiped between the bearing surfacesas the disk revolves with the shaft. Said disk 56 is also provided inits lower surface with radial grooves 58, 58 lo- I cated between theradial slots 57, 57, said ves 58 servin to aid in the distribution ofthe lubricant in a radial direction upon the bearing surfaces of theplug and disk.

shown in Fi .5 and 6, said radial grooves 58 exten from points near theperiphery of the disk 56 inwardly to the shaft, so that they permit thelubricant, which accumulates in said grooves as the disk rotates,

to reach the inner margin of the annular bearing surface on the plug. InFig. 8, wherein thegbottom surface of said disk 56 is shown, the radialnotches 57, 57 extend -.onl about halfway from the margin of the dis tothe shift, while the grooves 58, 58 terminate at their inner ends atsome distance outwardly from the shaft;

--= In bothv forms of construction described,

the radial notches and grooves are adapted to insure the distribution ofoil or lubricant over substantially, the entire area of the bearingsurfaces-of the disk and plu without establishing anyo en connectiontween the oil-chamber and main casing). The disk 56 restsand turns on te bearplug under the weight of the shaft attached parts, but is alsoheld in engagement therewith, against any upward t, concentrithrou h thebearing casin interior of the reservoir 72 is connected with pressureexerted on the disk by the fluid in the casing, by means of the bearingplu 45, at the upper end of the motor-shaft, w ich is adjusted toproperly engage the said upper end of the shaft and to maintain the disk56 in free runnin contact with the top or bearing surface of t escrew-plug. Such adjustment of the upper bearing plug is not interferedwith by the lower bearing plug 48, for the reason that the sprin 50permits said lower bearing plug to ad ust itself to the verticalposition of the shaft when the said upper bearing plug 45 is soadjusted.

To provide for supplying oil to the lower bearing of the shaft 11, saidshaft is made hollow or tubular and near its upper end is provided witha lateral aperture through which lubricant from the oil-chamber may ienter the longitudinal passage in the shaft At its lower end, below thepoint at which the shaft enga es the annular bearing surface 49 on thecaring sleeve 47, and above its conical lower end, the said shaft isprovided with a. lateral aperture 61 throu h which oil passingdownwardly through t e shaft escapes into-*the oil space within saidbearing sleeve. A;body of lubricant is thus retained in the spacereferred to,-by which the lower shaft-bearing is constantly lubricated.v

In order to avoid possibility of leakage formed by the disk 56 an theplug 5.5, in cases where the fluid to be measured is supplied to thecasing under a considerable head or pressure, or where there are extremevariations of pressure within the casing, provision is made forequalizing the pressure between the main and the oil-chamber as follows:The

the interior of the main casing by means of a pi e 65. In the apparatusillustrated, wine is designed for use in connection with water, or otherliquid heavier than oil, the

liquid heavier than oil, rising throu h the e ualizing pipe 65 andacting-on the ttom ofthe body of oilizin the reservoir to force the samefrom said reservoir into the oilchamber. The pressure equalizing devicedescribed not'onlyavoids undue pressure on the bearing between the shaftand the head of the casin and. avoids liability of leakage through saibearing, but also takes care of any expansion or contraction of thelllbllcant in the oil-chamber.

An apparatus embodying the main or essential features of my inventionmay be variously modified with respect to details of construction and Ido not, therefore, desire tov be {limited to the features ofconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawings except so farast-he same may be in themselves novel and setforth in the accompanyingappended claims as parts of my invention,

I claim as my invention 1. In an integrating fluid meter, thecombination' of a motor operated by the fluid to be measured, aregistering device, means affording driving connection between the motorand the registering device, a constanttorque motor, and means connectingthe constant-torque motor with the driven parts of the meter, saidconstant-torque motor acting to neutralize the frictional resistance ofsaid drivenparts. v

2. In an integrating fluid meter, the combination of a rotativemotor-member, a registering device, means afiording driving connectionbetween said motor-member andthe reglstermg device, a constant-torquemotor,,

and means connecting said constant-torque mot-orwith the rotor member,said constanttorque motor acting to neutralize the frictional resistancetorque of said motor-member and the parts actuated thereby.

- 3. In an integrating fluid meter, the combination of a jet-nozzle, arotor operated by the discharge through said nozzle of thefluid to bemeasured, a registering device. means affording driving connectionbetween said rotor and the'regi stering device, a constant-torque motor,and means connecting the said constant-torque motor with the rotormember, said constant-torque motor acting to neutralize the frictionalresistance torque of said rotor and the parts actuated 7 thereby.

means connecting the said constant-torque motor with the rotor member,said constanttorque'motor acting to neutralize the frietional resistancetorque of said rotor and the parts actuated thereby.

5. In an integrating fluid meter, the combination of a jet-nozzle havinga converging, parallel-discharge jet orifice, a rotor providedwithblades or buckets, resistance members attached to said rotor, aregistering device, means affording driving connection between saidrotor' and registering device, a constant-torque motor, and meansconnecting the said constant-torque motor with the rotor member,'saidconstant-torque motor acting to neutralize the frictional re betweensaid shaft and registering device, a

constant-torque motor, and means connecting the said constant-torque.motor with the rotor shaft, said constant-torque motor acting toneutralize the frictional resistance torque of the rotor-shaft and partsactuated thereby.

7. In an integrating fluid meter, the combination of a rotativemotor-member, a shaft therefor, a registering device, means affordingdriving connection between said shaft and registering device, a rotativedrum, a driving connection between said drum and shaft,'a cord on saiddrum and a weight acting on said cord.

8. In an integrating fluid meter, the combination of a casing, a rotorwithin the casing, a rotor-shaft which extends at one end through thewall of the casing, a registering device, means afl'ordlng drivingconnection between sald shaft and registering device, a

rotative drum, gearing connecting said drum with theend of said shaftexterior to the casing, a cordon said drum and a weight acting on saidcord.

9. In an integrating fluid meter, the combination of a casing, a rotorwithin the casing having an upright rotor-shaft which extends at itsupper end through the top wall of the casing, a registering device, anoil-chamber surrounding the-upper end of the shaft, an upright, registeroperating shaft having a bearing at its lower end in said oil-chamberand extending through the top wall of the latter, gearing within theoil-chamber connecting said shafts, operative connections between saidregister-operating shaft and the registering device, a constant-torquemotor, and means connecting the saidconstant-torque motor with the upperend of said register-operating shaft. 10.. In an integrating fluidmeter, the combination of a casing, a rotor within the casing, anupright rotor-shaft, an oil chamber above the casing, said oil chamberbeing separated from the casing by a wall through which said motor-shaftextends, a bearing between said shaft and said wall, a registeringdevice, driving connections between the upper end of said shaft and theregistering device, a constant-torque motor, and means connecting saidconstanbtorque motor with said shaft. 4

11. In an integrating fluid meter, the combination of an oil chamber,arotativeshaft which passes through a wall of the oil chamber, and abearing between said shaft and said wall of the oil chamber embracing anannular bearin'g face on said wall and a disk'attached' to the shaftwithin the oil chamber and provided with an annular bearing face incontact with the annular bearing face 011 said wall, said disk beingprovided with radial slots extending through} the same and in itsbearing face, betwee M said slots, with radial oil grooves.

12. In an integrating fluid meter, the combination of an oil chamber, arotative shaft which passes through a wall of the oil chamber, and abearin between said shaft and said wall of the 011 chamber, consistingof a disk attached to the shaft within the oil chamber'and provided withan annular convex bearing surface, said wall being provided with anannular concave bearing surface, and said disk being provided withradial slots extending through the same, and, in its convei bearingface, between the slots, with radial oil grooves.

13. In an integrating fluid meter, the combination of a casing, a rotorwithin the casing, an upright rotor-shaft which extends at its upper endthrough the top wall of the casing, an oil-chamber surrounding the upperend of said shaft, a bearin for the upper end of the shaft locatedwlthin the oilchamber, a suspension bearin for the shaft consisting of adisk on sai shaft which rests and turns on said top wall, and a bearingfor the lower end of said shaft embracing a .sprmgrpressed member actingupwardly on the shaft.

14. In an integrating fluid meter, the combination of a casing, a rotorwithin the casing, an upright rotor-shaft which extends at its upper endthrough the top wall of the casing, an oil-chamber surrounding the upperend of said shaft, a bearing within the oil-chamber for the upper end ofsaid shaft, a suspension bearing for the shaft consisting of a disk onthe'shaft which rests and turns upon said top wall, and a bearing forthe lower end of said shaft consisting of a bearing sleeve, a verticallysliding bearing-plug in said sleeve engaging the lower end of the shaft.and a lifting spring acting upwardly on said plug. v

15. In an integrating fluid meter, the combination of a casing, a rotorwithin the casing, an upright rotor-shaft which extends at its upper endthrough the top wall of the casing, an oil-chamber surrounding the upperend of said shaft, a bearing wlthin the oil-chamber for the upper end ofsaid shaft, a suspension bearing for the shaft consisting of a disk onthe shaft which rests and turns'upon said top wall, and a bearing forthe lower end of said shaft consisting of a bearing sleeve provided withan oil space,'a vertically sliding bearing plug in said sleeve engagingthe lower end of the shaft, and a lifting sring for said plug,

